


Frenzied Serenity

by Zendelai



Series: Mass Effect One-Shots, Drabbles, and etc. [5]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Chaotic Good Ryder, F/F, Fluff, I haven't decided if this is going to be a longer term thing yet, Or mostly just chaotic, Tough Vetra turned soft Vetra, but for now, one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-22 06:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10691193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zendelai/pseuds/Zendelai
Summary: Charlie Ryder is a terrible Pathfinder, and Vetra Nyx is a mediocre turian. But together, they can create something beautiful.Special thanks to saint_leona for help with the title!





	1. Chapter 1

“Stimulating the cardiovascular core.”

Vetra heard the blood rushing through her ears, felt her chest tighten and her breath become short, tasted copper on her tongue from biting it to restrain herself. She felt caged, dizzy; like a desperate wild animal, every instinct screaming for her to break loose at all costs. 

“Zero response.”

A chill wracked through her body, her veins turning to ice, her jaw clenching tighter, _tighter_ , a feral growl growing in the back of her throat. Her carefully constructed walls were crumbling, brick-by-brick. Every muscle strained as she tried to break loose from her shackles, but the effort was fruitless; she was completely and utterly helpless, hopeless, watching as one of the most treasured people to her in the entire galaxy – in two galaxies – heart voluntarily stopped. 

“Stimulating the cardiovascular core.”

She would have given everything for that to be her instead, she would have given life and limb for Ryder. The Pathfinder was vital to the Initiative, yes, and vital to all settlers, but as Vetra’s muscle fibers screamed from the pain of her efforts and her throat sheared from the cry she withheld, Vetra knew Ryder was _so much more_. More than a beacon of hope, more than the innocuous flirting they exchanged, more than the friend who helped her rescue Sid. 

With a gasp, Ryder sat up.

Relief flooded through Vetra so rapidly it was almost agonizing. Her muscles released, her throat loosened, her jaw let up. 

It was the same relief she had felt when she saw Sid again. 

In that moment Vetra knew – Ryder wasn’t just a friend, or a Pathfinder. She was family. 

As Ryder released Vetra from her shackles, she had to restrain herself from embracing Ryder, as badly as she wanted to. 

In that moment, Vetra made a decision to talk to Ryder. Life in this new galaxy was too short to push her feelings aside.

Perhaps Vetra would invite her to Kadara. 


	2. Chapter 2

Night fell around Vetra, but she was too absorbed in her work to notice. Hushed “good nights” were exchanged, the lights dimmed, the only sound that remained was the white noise of the drive core adjacent to her. Yet her head remained bowed over her terminal, her fingers frantically working.

She was so occupied, she jumped out of her seat when her omni-tool dinged at a late hour with a message from Ryder.

_V,_

_You still up? Want to show you something._

_-Charlie_

She smiled at the use of Ryder’s first name. Charlie was informal at the best of times, but around everyone other than Vetra, she preferred the use of her surname. The use of her first name was like a gift to Vetra.

_Me? Sleep?_

_-V_

Charlie’s next message arrived so quickly, Vetra wondered if Ryder had known Vetra was up already.

_Meet me at my quarters when you’re ready._

_-Charlie_

Immediately, Vetra closed her terminal, her work suddenly feeling unimportant, and departed for the Pathfinder’s Quarters.

In the short time since they had become… whatever they were – girlfriends, maybe? – Vetra had never been to Charlie’s quarters, and the thought of entering such a mysterious space thrilled her. 

Truthfully, everything about Charlie thrilled her. But over the years Vetra had become a master of creating a veneer of calm, so with a deep breath, she school her expression into neutrality and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

The door whisked open, and Vetra was faced with chaos.

Charlie’s Disciple was in pieces on the desk, discarded and forgotten about,  so disassembled it no longer resembled a rifle. Her armour was entirely scattered, her chest piece on a chair, her greaves on her unmade bed, her helmet atop a lamp. The few items of clothing she possessed appeared to have been hit by a tornado, a pair of pants somehow hanging from the ceiling light. Ryder herself sat cross-legged on the ground, her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth, appearing childlike with the exception of the partially assembled Black Widow at her feet. 

Upon hearing Vetra’s entrance, Charlie looked up and smiled brightly, her blue eyes twinkling. In spite of the hour, Vetra found no exhaustion there. “You made it!” She chimed, as if Vetra would have missed this. Standing quickly, Charlie brushed dust off her pants. “Sorry about the mess, I lost my…” Looking away, she rubbed the back of her neck. “Actually, I have no excuse. I’m a complete disaster. Don’t tell Cora.”

Vetra couldn’t help but smile; she took two long strides towards Charlie and briefly tapped their foreheads together in a quiet but affectionate gesture. “What did you want to show me?”

Grinning, Charlie practically danced away to a corner of the room and Vetra followed. With a flourish and a “ta-da!”, Charlie presented a drying rack. Or at least, that’s what Vetra assumed that it was, since it was covered with spare bedsheets.

Deadpan, Vetra responded, “It’s a drying rack.”

Charlie rolled her eyes. “Turians. So uncultured.” Vetra let out an audible snort. “It’s an easel. Observe.” She whipped the bedsheet off the easel, and the sight beneath it made Vetra’s calm veneer crumble.

It was a painting, and it was beautiful. Vetra approached it, one hand covering her mouth, the other reaching towards it, afraid to touch and mar something so stunning, so intricate, so…

She couldn’t believe it. It was _Kadara_. The sulphur springs. The view of the sky from the ground, where they had shared their first kiss. 

“I…” Vetra stammered, at an utter loss for words. “You… it’s…” From beside her, Charlie began to giggle. “This is beautiful.”

Charlie’s voice was warm with pride. “I made it. It’s for you.”

She was shocked into silence. Charlie made _this_? For _her_? Something so beautiful, so personal, so meaningful? Never in her life had she received a gift so wonderful. 

In hushed tones, she mustered a barely audible “thank you.” 

She wasn’t much good at the human act of ‘kissing’ but she gave it a try anyway, pressing her plates against Charlie’s soft lips, who let out a pleased sigh.

“You like it?” Charlie muttered against Vetra’s hide.

“I love it.”

Who needed an ugly lamp – a Milky Way – when you had something like _this_?


End file.
